A Knight in Shining Armor || A DuckTales Story

The Dragon Whispers Again

Four more years had passed. Dylan had recently turned fourteen. And Frida had grown with him, now about seven years old. Four more years didn't add much to Wildwing, and he was already wise enough for his age. Regardless, Dylan had grown into a pleasant and likable boy. He was kind and gentle, but also a lot more brave than he seemed to like letting on. He was also very selfless, having taken care of someone like Frida, and having had selfless parents and guardians. It seemed to run in the family, Wildwing liked to say.

Dylan had gotten a bit further in his Woodchuck "career," so to say, but ever since he'd...opened his heart a bit more, to his uncle, to Frida, and others around him, he seemed to drift from pursuing knowledge. He was now onto the pursuit of wisdom, his first step having been learning the difference between the two. Every so often, he might internally discover something he never would have learned in school; something deeper, and most of the time, more emotionally related.

Aside from that, Dylan had recently learned more about the Featherbeak family's dragon-whisperer power and other ties with dragons and their powers. He was eager to know more about it, so maybe one day he would gain more control. His dragon beast still came out sometimes, and he figured that knowing more about the hereditary powers it came from would help him learn control. Dylan was even more eager to meet more dragons, as the only dragon in his life so far was Frida, and he wanted to know more about dragons from the eye of another.

Enough of that.

Anyway....

Tonight, Dylan had a Woodchuck festival to attend. However, as he changed into his uniform in his room, he felt a little unsure about going. He had already earned the rank of Senior Woodchuck years ago, and since then, he hadn't been keen on pursuing the knowledge of a Woodchuck anymore, albeit, that caused him to indirectly earn a few more merit badges. Although, there were a few people he was looking forward to seeing again for the first time in a while. Dylan didn't attend every single Woodchuck event or jamboree, and he was seldom seen at camp. Not that he minded that much, for no one seemed to notice anyway...except one kid who'd been in his Woodchuck cohort since their initiation: Huey Duck.

Huey was a nerdy kid, two years younger than Dylan, who was always keen and eager to earn a merit badge every chance he could. Dylan liked him, for Huey wasn't always nerdy, in every sense of the word, and the two had become good friends. But Dylan didn't want one person to be the only reason he might be going, and he felt a bit torn. However, he remembered that Senior Woodchuck's should generally be present at events, to keep the image of the Woodchuck troop looking better. Dylan didn't like the idea of ruining the Woodchuck image, even under any circumstance, and finished putting on the rest of his uniform.

"Dylan," his Uncle Wildwing called from downstairs, "you ready to go?"

Dylan hesitated for a moment, before calling back, "Yeah yeah, I'll be right there."

With one last look in the mirror, he walked out of his room, and downstairs, where his uncle was. It was a bit late in the evening, and as Frida was still quite young, Wildwing and Dylan put her to bed earlier. She had been asleep rather fast. Wildwing stood at the front door. He sensed a subtle melancholy about Dylan as he came to join him, and put a hand on his nephew's shoulder.

"You okay, buddy?" he asked gently.

Dylan looked to the side, part of him thinking this question would have come.

"Uncle Wildwing," he said softly, "I...I feel...I dunno...distant, from the Woodchuck troop. I haven't done any purposeful Woodchuck tasks in years....I almost don't feel like part of it anymore...."

Dylan's head hung. He really didn't have anything else to say about it, but it made him feel sad. Wildwing noticed, and got on one knee so his eyes would be level with his nephew's.